The painting represents the marriage of Cupid, the god of love, with Psyche, in the presence of Juno, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and other gods of Olympus, as narrated by Apuleius in The Golden Ass. It seems to have formed the central panel of a ceiling with scenes from the legend of Psyche, painted by Schiavone about 1550 for the Castello di Salvatore di Collato. The four corners are later additions to the original octagon.

The vibrant Venetian color and sketchlike technique meld around the languid Psyche at center, who is based on the figure of Circe conceived by Parmigianino that appears in more than one print after him. The exaggerated grazia (grace) of the bodies also recalls Parmigianino.